Away Ticket Price Petition Launches

Today sees the launch of our Twenty's Plenty petition, which is aimed at demonstrating the strength of feeling surrounding the spiralling cost of watching football. The Twenty’s Plenty for Away Tickets petition calls on clubs at all levels of the game to recognise and reward the dedication and contribution of travelling fans by agreeing an across-the-board maximum price of £20 for an away ticket (£15 for concessions).

Following public meetings of fans in Manchester and London the launch of the petition marks the next step in the Twenty’s Plenty campaign. Each fan’s signature will trigger an email to their club, as well as the respective league, informing them of their support for the campaign.

The cost of attending football is increasing at all levels, and not just in the Premier League. Many League Two fans are already finding themselves getting very little change from a twenty pound note, if any at all, when paying for their tickets, and it is expected that thousands of fans from all leagues will sign the petition.

With gate receipts becoming less important compared with TV revenue as a percentage of a club’s income, the Football Supporters’ Federation is concerned that fans are finding it increasingly easy to stay at home and watch games on the internet or watch them at the pub for free. Football needs to act now to make sure it doesn’t lose the next generation of match-going fans.

Malcolm Clarke, chair of the FSF, said:

“Watching live football is becoming more and more expensive, and in the current financial climate many fans are finding it harder to afford. Increases in the cost of fuel and rail fares make travelling away particularly expensive, which is why the focus of this campaign is on those who travel to support their team.

“Fans continue to get in touch with the Football Supporters’ Federation on the issue of ticket pricing and affordability of the game on an almost daily basis. We think that the Twenty’s Plenty campaign is a realistic and achievable solution to help some of the most dedicated fans with their matchday costs.”

Martin O’Hara, deputy chair of the FSF, said:

“The increase in the domestic TV deal of around £1.2bn means that all Premier League clubs could subsidise every single ticket at every single game for the next three seasons to the tune of £32 each without losing a penny from this year’s revenues. That’s the equivalent of £600 off each and every season ticket.

“A cap on prices would help make football more affordable for those on low wages, children, students and OAPs. Football should not be a preserve of the wealthy. A maximum price of £20 would help clubs reconnect with the local communities from which they were born.

“Reciprocal arrangements such as these are in everyone’s interest – if all clubs adopt cheaper pricing for away fans, away match attendance will increase and teams will be backed by more of their most loyal supporters away from home.”